God alone is worthy of worship and delights in His own glory, and so creates, seeks, saves, and commands His people to worship Him. Though believers’ entire lives are to be characterized by spiritual service of worship, God is present and blesses His people in a special way in corporate worship. Our greatest duty and delight is in worshiping the triune God in the beauty of holiness (1 Chron. 16:29; Ps. 29:2; 96:9).
We strive for decency, order, and excellence in every part of our worship to reflect God’s beauty, holiness, and majesty. We follow the biblical mandated established practices of the reading and preaching of God’s Word; prayer; psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; offerings; and ordinances.
God initiates worship, reveals His will and graciously works through His Word in worship. God’s people accordingly respond by humbly, reverently, and boldly calling upon Him in faith, joyfully offering thanksgiving and praise, giving to God what has been received from His gracious hand. The goal of our worship is to manifest God’s saving work among His people, and this to His glory, not ours.
God commands to be worshiped according to His revealed will alone, not according to personal preferences and cultural fads. The very content of God’s Word holds prominent place within every element of worship. We delight in bringing great glory to our Lord God in theses prescribed ways in our united worship of Him.

Revelation – 22:6-21 - Revelation - Cornerstone Church

9 What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there a thing of which it is said,
“See, this is new”?
It has been already
in the ages before us.
11 There is no remembrance of former things,
nor will there be any remembrance
of later things yet to be
among those who come after.

The idea of something “new” always has a certain attraction for us. From the time of the fall, the promise of that which is outside of what currently “is” has led us down the path, and paths, of pursuit of such. Find the new.

In our time and in our culture “new” sells both products and ideas. Agendas are advanced as “change”, and there is always some “new” soap.

In our time also, such claims of newness are attached to or presented as a “new consciousness”, or way of thinking which is emerging among us, or in other phrasing “evolving”. Such “new consciousness” or evolution of thought is imaged or postulated via some new discovery of the nature of things, or need of society, or something new which has been thrust upon us.

In recent days there has been a definite uptick in the use of a certain phrase “the new normal”, and this in response to something “unprecedented” occurring; unprecedented itself meaning new.

Just observationally there is a surface irony to that phrase (and a substantive one which will be noted in a bit). Normal is from a Latin word which was from the idea of exactness – literally a carpenter’s square measuring a right angle. The conflict within the phrase itself then emerges - Can you have a “new” right angle or is a right angle a constant?

Quite obviously that is not what is in people’s minds when using the phrase. In forgetting the former things, men lose conception of original meanings of words and phrasing which they commonly use. Hence, when someone points out something such as just has been pointed to here, they are referred to negatively as “being semantic” or “overly semantic” (This is where all of the grammarians and “semantics” will giggle together).

But, such forgetting is not relegated to grammar. It is within all experience. Because in truth our ideas of that which is unprecedented is in regard to our limited scope of life or experience. Here in lies the issue of a substantive problem with the phrase “the new normal”.

When that phrase is being used, is it first fully vetted against the backdrop of all history?

Also, is there represented within the “new normal” from the “unprecedented” events, a true change in the nature of things? What’s new?

Throughout the generations the phrase “we are living in unprecedented times” has been repeated. Giving the idea that every new generation is new and evolving into newness. Breaking “new ground”, etc.

What is intended with such, is that a new pattern to life has emerged, and or must emerge. This from new understanding, and a new way of seeing things. With that, at this point let’s return to Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes 1:9-11

9 What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there a thing of which it is said,
“See, this is new”?
It has been already
in the ages before us.
11 There is no remembrance of former things,
nor will there be any remembrance
of later things yet to be
among those who come after.

What is being presented in this is not that men have always walked on the moon from the outset of creation, or that men have always driven electric cars. Nor, does it mean that men have always typed such things as this, using a laptop such as this is being typed upon. But, it does include the idea that the physics and concepts involved were there already, so as to be “discovered” and understood. Man didn’t create them.

But, even that is not the main point of what is being told us here.

The main point is that from the fall, man has not changed, nor has the patterns of interaction and society of men changed. The heart of man is the same as it has been. The tools used for various things have ebbed and flowed through the millennia, even progressing as from chariots to a 1970 Chevy Chevelle SS with a 454 under the hood.

The two tools are superficially a bit different, but in truth men wanted to go fast and race chariots just as they did later in muscle cars. The heart of man doesn’t change.

In that truth, we can know that the actions of men will follow the same patterns which they always have. The hearts of men, desires, patterns of power, etc. will not change.

Involved in man’s responses to all which occurs will be their various desires. In this cultures and societies will follow the same patterns as which have already been trodden before.

There is no new road to a new outcome. There is but the same truth which governs all.

This is the clear understanding which the Lord gives in His Word to His people. We are not those who buy into the “new” and better way. Nor are we those who are ever taken unawares by surrounding events. We are not those groping in the dark for answers. While we do not know all mysteries, there is that which we do know, and that which overarches all else:

Ecclesiastes 12:13

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

Revelation - 21:1-22:5 – Revelation - Cornerstone Church

Isaiah‬ ‭53:10-12‬ ‭
“But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.”
‭‭
Mark‬ ‭16:1-8‬ ‭
“When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him. Very early on the first day of the week, they *came to the tomb when the sun had risen. They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” Looking up, they *saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. And he *said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’ ” They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”

He is Risen.....

[04/10/20]
Friday April 10

Mark 15:21-41
“They pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), to bear His cross. Then they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh; but He did not take it. And they crucified Him, and divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide what each man should take. It was the third hour when they crucified Him. The inscription of the charge against Him read, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.” They *crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. [ And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.”] Those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes, were mocking Him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him. When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “E LOI, E LOI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” which is translated, “M Y GOD, M Y GOD, WHY HAVE Y OU FORSAKEN M E?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, “Behold, He is calling for Elijah.” Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink, saying, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last. And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” There were also some women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses, and Salome. When He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and minister to Him; and there were many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.”

Psalm 22:1-31
“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning. O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer; And by night, but I have no rest. Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel. In You our fathers trusted; They trusted and You delivered them. To You they cried out and were delivered; In You they trusted and were not disappointed. But I am a worm and not a man, A reproach of men and despised by the people. All who see me sneer at me; They separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying, “ Commit yourself to the LORD; let Him deliver him; Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.” Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb; You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts. Upon You I was cast from birth; You have been my God from my mother’s womb. Be not far from me, for trouble is near; For there is none to help. Many bulls have surrounded me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me. They open wide their mouth at me, As a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And my tongue cleaves to my jaws; And You lay me in the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me; They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots. But You, O LORD, be not far off; O You my help, hasten to my assistance. Deliver my soul from the sword, My only life from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion’s mouth; From the horns of the wild oxen You answer me. I will tell of Your name to my brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. You who fear the LORD, praise Him; All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel. For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from him; But when he cried to Him for help, He heard. From You comes my praise in the great assembly; I shall pay my vows before those who fear Him. The afflicted will eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the LORD. Let your heart live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations will worship before You. For the kingdom is the LORD ’ S And He rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship, All those who go down to the dust will bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep his soul alive. Posterity will serve Him; It will be told of the Lord to the coming generation. They will come and will declare His righteousness To a people who will be born, that He has performed it.”

[04/09/20]
April 9, 2020

In the resurrection of Christ Jesus the believer has particular life in Him now which is indicative of the life promised beyond this life we are now in.

1 Corinthians 15:20-26
“But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death.”
‭
The promise yet future is that we will be raised with Him bodily.
But, it is not simply something only in the future.

Ephesians 2:4-6
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,”
‭‭
We have already been raised (resurrected) in Christ spiritually as believers in Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone.

In this spiritual resurrection, which is the deposit of the physical resurrection to come, all by the resurrection of Christ, there is a particular reality of life now.

2 Corinthians 4:16-5:9
“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight— we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.”

That “renewing of the inner man day by day” is the continued working of God in us, as He is faithfully completing the work He began in us, per Philippians 1:6.
But, this work is then involving of specific means which He has ordained that we as His people participate in. Throughout scripture the means of grace are outlined and to be followed until the coming of the Lord Jesus.
In the keeping of these means, we know both the evident day by day renewal of the inner man, and have the confidence of the promise of coming resurrection in the likeness of the Lord Jesus at His coming.

Beloved, remain faithful in full obedience to Him Who has redeemed you, Him Who does not change, and Who alone rules every molecule, directing each as He wishes.

He has risen!
And all of God’s people would say...............

Revelation – 20:11-15 - Revelation - Cornerstone Church

In the current Covid-19 exile there is given us a lot to think about and evaluate across a wide spectrum of thought. One aspect which keeps recurring to individuals is in regard to what to do with more time on their hands. Below is a quick list of ideas.

Read and outline a book of the Bible...Then another.
Pray
Read the History of.....
Pray
Walk in a park
Write a poem
Pray
Evangelize
Exercise
Write a song
Read and outline a book of the Bible...Then another.
Mow your lawn
Write an essay of .....
Walk in a park
Talk to brethren
Write a book
Evangelize
Pray
Make an observational study of....
Exercise
Read and outline a book of the Bible...Then another.
Build.....
Build a planter box
Talk to brethren
Support local businesses
Plant a shrub
Evangelize
Plant a tree
Have a 30 minute conversation with...
Have an hour long conversation with...
Evangelize
Have multiple hour conversation with....
Write a history of your family for your posterity
Tighten the door hinges and door knobs of your home.
Evangelize
Exercise
Look through a telescope at the sky
Check on your church family

These are but a few suggestions. But, of course, amid all of such be sure to – Maintain proper hygiene by: washing your hands frequently, using hand sanitizer, using your elbow to cover coughs, avoid touching your face with unwashed hands, and clean and disinfect work areas frequently. In this too, maintain appropriate distance between individuals. If you are sick separate yourself so as not to infect others. These are important practices amid the current issues which surround us.

Regarding our assembly – we will maintain the pattern which we have followed for the past few weeks per guidelines of the governing authorities – which were recently updated by a new Executive Order from the Governor of Texas, and taking effect on April 2.

In all:
The LORD bless you, and keep you; The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’ Numbers 6:24-26

Want your place of worship to be the top-listed Place Of Worship in Plano?

Category

Contact the place of worship

Telephone

Website

Address

9725 Independence Pkwy Plano, TX
75025-5234

General information

We are glad that you found us on our Web home and took the time to find out more about Cornerstone Church.
Cornerstone is made up of friendly people who want to be honest in our relationship with Jesus Christ. We are a congregation which worships God locally at the crossroads of the Plano, Allen, Frisco, and McKinney area.
Cornerstone exists to bring glory to God through the Lord Jesus Christ. One aspect of doing so is to meet you wherever you are at and from wherever you have come, while always maintaining the clear focus of turning all eyes to Jesus Christ - for He alone is to be our focus.
We hope that you feel at home here, whatever your background or life history. We are not perfect, but we have been saved by the One who is. We have been saved by grace alone, through faith alone, on the basis of Jesus Christ alone, for the glory of God alone, as revealed by scripture alone.
It is our duty and desire to live knowledgibly before the face of God, as His adopted children in all which He has laid out before us in perception and practice.
We invite you to come and experience the solid truth of Jesus Christ, within the real relationship between us and Him as shared between one another toward the world.

The church of Christ on McDermott Road is a church striving to be loving and faithful. We meet at 3600 McDermott Road in Plano, Texas and we would love for you to join us for Bible study and worship one day soon.

Unitarian Universalism (UUism) descends directly from centuries of free thinking liberal religions, guided by shared values. This faith's core emphasizes the inherent worth and value of every person and the interdependence of everyone and every thing.